Raelism...more Religious Drivel It Would Seem.

[mikey4444]

Never heard of Raelism until I saw it in today's Gaurdian :::

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ra%C3%ABlism

How can any sane, educated person actually believe this nonsense. It makes Scientology look normal !

[andy-hughes]

I'd like to know two things -

a) What drugs are these people taking?
b) Where can I get some!

[chrisgel]

Yes Mikey I read about these a while back. Just another example of the weird and wacky world of daftness called religion.
It seems that logical rational people are in the minority and we are surrounded by people who don't want to accept reality or responsibility for their own lives.

[Old_Geezer]

On glancing at the first sentence it looks no better nor worse than many other beliefs, is it ?

[mikey4444]

I have been castigated here on AB for using the phrase "Common Sense"
but if people only knew what it was and how to employ it, Raelism and almost all the other religions would slowly disappear, at least from educated societies.

Still puzzles me how people can be taken in by something like this.

[LazyGun]

I am quite liking the sound of Raelism, which I had never heard of before until your link, Mikey - I am seriously thinking of renouncing my atheism in favour of this belief structure.

After all, Aliens creating us makes much more sense than some supernatural god, to me :) And I quite like the sound of sensual massages and a liberal attitude towards sexuality :)

[jim360]

Aliens creating us may be more sensible than a supernatural being doing so, but that's only because the first one makes no sense at all. I think the idea of Aliens being our Creators is probably as many as 1000 times more sensible than that!

[chrisgel]

Jim - But there's about the same amount of evidence for both. i.e. None

[jim360]

What's 1000 times 0, though?

[naomi24]

This is a well-known belief system, but I wouldn’t say it makes Scientology look normal. It’s just as nuts! If anyone believes that aliens, who were mistaken for supernatural gods, came here in the dim and distant past (which I think is entirely possible) and created man as we know him (which I also think is entirely possible), why turn the whole thing into a clone of earthly religion, with baptisms, symbols, etc, etc? It’s people like these who give a theory that’s very worthy of serious consideration a bad name.

[naomi24]

Chris, actually I think there's quite a lot that could be considered evidence.

[chrisgel]

OK - Proof then.

[jim360]

Depends on what you mean by evidence.

On the whole, though, the idea that aliens can have created humans, or at some point interfered with or played a role in their development, is at least conceivable, because if the Universe can support us there's nothing to stop it supporting other life elsewhere. By contrast, as Dawkins pointed out once, a supernatural being that is presumed to exist outside the Universe is necessarily more complex than the Universe it created, so that it is in fact easier to believe the the Universe emerged spontaneously.

The problem is that all the "evidence" you refer to seems to be cultural, or speculation. It would need a lot of physical evidence -- not least a sign beyond an appeal to probability that there is other life out there -- to back up that interpretation to take the idea from "one interpretation" to an idea that really is worth serious consideration.

[joko]

the whole system and rules and ways etc are ridiculous, totally made up, and just another attempt at control, like any other religion.
(i notice that the two main words, backwards are mi hole and lear (possibly pronounced liar...?, haha)

but, the basic premise of it is not a new one.
It is actually is believed my many, and is actually far more realistic and possible and likely than the whole premise of god.

it is pretty much a certainty that there is life elsewhere in the universe and the notion that they could have come here many years ago and kick started human existence is not all that far fetched when you think about it - no more than saying we just 'evolved' purely by chance really is it?

[naomi24]

//The problem is that all the "evidence" you refer to seems to be cultural, or speculation.//

Firstly, if you’re going to discuss this as a serious subject, you must first and foremost discount the supernatural completely. Secondly, I haven’t referred to any specific evidence – but if I had I would strongly disagree that it is all cultural or speculative. I actually think much of it is tangible.

[naomi24]

Raelism is just another potty cult - nothing more.

[mikey4444]

Naomi...complete drivel, and you know it !

[LazyGun]

@joko - If you are talking about how life started, thats not something covered by evolution. More properly, that topic would be abiogenesis.

And although there is a big gap in our knowledge base at this point, which allows for speculation about gods or aliens imparting the spark of life, we also hypotheses supported by laboratory evidence to suggest that no such spark, no such intervention either divine or alien, is required.

Evolution though, is different. That covers how life changes and adapts. That is not something that is challenged by or even needs divine or alien intervention.
And this comment-
" no more than saying we just 'evolved' purely by chance really is it?"

That evolution is just pure chance, is incorrect. random chance plays a part, but evolution is all about selection, which is the exact opposite of pure chance really...

I still say any religion/cult that offers sensous massage and liberal views on sexuality is worthy of consideration though,even if it does mean believing in ALF,of Roger from American Dad, or even ET :)

[EDDIE51]

Have you actually looked up scientology beliefs ? I would say on balance this lot are more sensible.

[jim360]

Of course you disagree that it's cultural/ speculative, but that doesn't change the fact that it is -- and that there are some pretty serious objections on practical/ scientific grounds. It may turn out that these can be overcome, and that aliens did visit us with profound implications for our history. In that sense it's a good thing that the idea exists, because at some point its time may come. But at the very least, that time is not now. That humans developed isolated from the rest of whatever life there is out there, and had some vivid imaginations, is just as good an explanation of whatever evidence there is. So rather than have another discussion about this I'll appeal to Occam's Razor and leave it at that.

[chrisgel]

There is evidence and proof for evolution. It makes complete sense and is observable in action.
To my mind proposing other theories to explain what is already well understood is a waste of time and bordering on the religious need to feel special.
Panspermia has already been proposed in some circles as an explanation for our origins and this again to my mind is an unescessary complication with no proof.